


In Love and Darkness

by idreamofignoct



Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon, Altissia, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Blind Ignis, Eventual Smut, IgNoct, Implied Relationships, Implied/Referenced Character Death, M/M, Romance, Sad
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-05-03
Updated: 2017-05-03
Packaged: 2018-10-27 05:44:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,569
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10802943
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/idreamofignoct/pseuds/idreamofignoct
Summary: With Noctis ready to receive Leviathan's power, Ignis and the others prepare to evacuate the citizens. But when Ignis faces Ardyn alone, he suffers a devastating injury.





	In Love and Darkness

**Author's Note:**

> Just my take on what happened to Ignis in Altissia and its aftermath. First time writing Ardyn as he appears in canon, and damn if it isn't FUN. Not sure how long this will be or where I'm going with it but we'll see. Just felt like writing it. Enjoy!

Ignis nodded to the sentry and turned to Noctis. “Everything is in order,” he said, his gaze following the prince as he moved toward the window. “Gladio, Prompto, and I will wait at the rendezvous point.”

“Right.” Noctis’s answer was distracted. A pensive look passed across his face, matched by the unconscious way his hand flexed. Ignis didn’t need to ask him what brought on such a mood. For weeks, they’d traveled with one goal in mind: reach Altissia, reach Lady Lunafreya. Now that the day had come, Ignis expected Noctis to feel overwhelmed. The subject of what they’d do once she concluded her business here was one they hadn’t touched on. Specifically, the prospect of their marriage. Politically, it would be meaningless; the treaty making the union a symbol of truce was nullified when the Empire attacked. 

Personally, however…

The weeks on the road changed them both. Ignis tried resisting it. Fell back on duty and expectation, safety zones that not only protected Noctis, but prevented Ignis from indulging in what had been mere fantasy. Only he underestimated Noctis’s ability to circumvent any defenses Ignis attempted to build. In the end, it was one, simple phrase, whispered to him in the middle of the night: _I want to be with you._

For a while, it had been their secret. Something teased at during the day and indulged in at night. Yet as they boarded King Regis’s boat, Ignis, sensitive to the situation awaiting them in Altissia, suggested they be more discreet. Noctis, demonstrating an awareness Ignis didn’t give him enough credit for, agreed. For there was another here whose personal risk outweighed their own desires. 

Ignis spoke reassuringly. “If you are concerned for Lady Lunafreya’s safety, I will speak to—”

“Luna’s fine,” Noctis said. “Look how far she came by herself. I wish I had her courage.”

The admission surprised Ignis. Rare was it Noctis to admit anything resembling a shortcoming. He demonstrated pride bordering on arrogance in battle, sometimes at the expense of his own safety. Yet no matter how often this happened, Ignis, or any of them, was always right there. 

Ignis studied Noctis’s profile, noted the tightening of his lips. Sensing the source of his distress, Ignis joined him at the window. The prince turned his face to him. What he saw reflected in those eyes rendered Ignis silent for a moment. The acceptance of what he had to do conflicted with the prospect of being apart from the others to do it. No wonder he envied the Oracle’s courage. 

Ignis rested a hand on the prince’s shoulder. “Stay focused, Noct,” he said, speaking softly but firmly. “We must be prepared for anything today.”

A small sigh passed Noctis’s lips. “Yeah. Just wish it was a little, you know, _easier_.” 

Ignis detected another meaning behind Noctis’s words. He fought back the urge to draw him closer. Instead relied on logic and reason to bring his emotions back under control. “Being a king has never been about ease,” he said, slipping his hand from Noctis’s shoulder. He watched Ignis’s arm lower, a brief look of regret entering his eyes. 

“Tell me about it.” Acknowledgment weighed heavily in his words. He sent Ignis a wry smile. “Nothing ever seems to bother you. How do you do it, Iggy?”

Ignis gazed at him. Ah. Such a loaded question. Especially now that the need to memorize the details of Noctis’s face, the cant of his smile, the blue of his eyes, seized him, as if he’d never see it again. Ignoring the sensation, Ignis summoned a faint smile. “Several things do, but we don’t have the time to discuss them.”

Noctis gave a slight laugh. “I’ve probably already heard at least a hundred on the way here,” he said.

“Undoubtedly.”

The prince smirked at him before turning his gaze to the window again.

As Ignis watched him, the weight of responsibility settled on Noctis’s shoulders, yet he did not appear crushed by it. Seeing it filled Ignis with pride in the man Noctis was becoming. Yet he also wished he could lift some of the burden from him. Were it only within his power. Within his _right._

Noctis sighed, stepped away from the window. “Better get going,” he said. “Luna’s speech is gonna begin soon. Don’t wanna miss it. Already been too long since we last saw each other. I almost don’t know what to say.”

“You could begin by saying, ‘Hello,’” Ignis suggested, earning another smirk from those lips. He dismissed the memory of the last time he kissed them. “Regardless of how you greet her, I’m certain she will be pleased to see you. Please give her our regards.”

Noctis bowed his head. He seemed reluctant to leave, as if he still had something he wanted to say. But then he summoned a smile just shy of cocky. It was as infuriating as it was endearing.  
“See you soon, Specs,” he said. Then, with a casual wave and another smile, Noctis walked off. 

Ignis watched him leave, again haunted by the want to keep him within sight for as long as possible. A low ache settled deep in his heart. “Do be careful, Noct,” he said to the departing figure, his unsteady gait taking him further away. 

Once Noctis passed through a pair of doors, Ignis took a moment to collect himself. _Focus,_ he’d said to Noctis. It held true for Ignis as well. He headed in the opposite direction, his sights fixed only on the task ahead. Confident that no matter what happened, he’d find the perfect counter. For he’d be damned if something prevented Noctis from attaining what was his.

***

The public address had started peacefully enough. From their vantage point, Ignis, Gladio, and Prompto witnessed the swell of people crowding the steps in front of the first secretary’s manor. Lady Lunafreya’s speech had been so captivating, Prompto seemed unable to snap any pictures. Ignis recalled exchanging small smiles with Gladio before the Imperial forces arrived. Ignis phoned Noctis to inform him, then turned to his companions. 

Gladio, his expression dark, was the first on the move. “Prompto, stop gawking and get the hell to your post,” he growled.

Prompto, responding with a hasty if awkward stutter of, “Y-yes sir!”, returned his camera to his pocket and raced off. 

“Contact me once you’re in position,” Ignis called after Prompto, who acknowledged him. Ignis lifted his gaze skyward, a frown touching his lips. It was clear the Empire intended to disrupt the Rite. In their haste to bring Leviathan down, the chances of Lady Lunafreya or Noctis surviving such an onslaught were slim. Every instinct in him demanded he seek out the prince, an instinct he could not satisfy until he fulfilled his duty to the people. He hurried for the stairwell. By then, panic had set in. Ignis went to work.

The evacuation went by in a blur of frantic activity. Even as Ignis quickly ushered the frightened populace to safety, he had his phone pressed to his ear, issuing directions to Noctis or orders to Gladio and Prompto. But then the ground shook, mirroring the tremors issued by Titan’s awakening. Ignis, along with the group of people he was guiding, collapsed like felled wheat. 

Ignis, fighting off disorientation, pushed himself to his feet. He took in the chaotic scene unfolding before him. “Everyone, get up, quickly!” he called above the rush of water. He assisted a few of the more shaken ones, all the while aware of the rising water level. Frightened beyond the capability of taking direction, the people headed for higher ground. Ignis chased after them, herding them as best he could. He cleared the landing just as a wave swallowed up the section of platform they once stood on. 

The people continued, their panicked screams lost in the sound of water smashing against the buildings. Ignis paused to survey the scene, heart pounding from fear and adrenaline. Debris lay strewn about. Fractured sections of wood, furniture, and clothing floated along the water’s surface. He expected Leviathan’s wrath to be great, but this…! 

A monstrous roar shook the air, cutting through Ignis as efficiently as a blade. He staggered, not just from the sound, but the force behind it. Ahead, Leviathan herself reared up, magnificent and terrifying. Walls of water swirled around her. 

Fear gripped him by the throat.

_Noct._

The feel of his phone vibrating in his pocket brought Ignis back to the present. He answered it in a steady voice that did nothing to betray the thought of Noctis in peril.

“Iggy, where are you?” Gladio sounded harried. Echoes of gunfire sounded in the background. “Prompto just got back from the altar. Damn Niffs are pissing Leviathan off. We gotta get over there.” 

Ignis’s grip on the phone tightened. It was as he thought. “I can see her from where I am. I’m going on ahead.”

“What? The hell you are,” Gladio replied. Real worry took the edge from his words. “Troops are all over the place.”

“A fact I am well aware of,” Ignis said, impatient to be off. “The sooner we meet up, the sooner we can take the Empire’s attention from Leviathan and Noct.”

Gladio grunted, clearly not having thought of this. Prompto’s voice echoed from the other line.

“I get it. We’re gonna be bait, aren’t we?”

Ignis smiled, satisfied that at least one of them understood. “For as long as we can. Hurry to me.”

“Right. Let’s go, big guy,” Prompto said, sounding ready to move.

Ignis prepared to hang up when Gladio spoke his name.

“Just be careful, okay? I got a bad feeling about all this.”

Ignis’s response was lost when Leviathan released another roar. He laid a hand over his ear as he shouted into the phone. He intended to say Gladio’s name, but a surprised cry pushed past his lips instead, for a powerful wave struck the platform. In seconds, the wave launched him clear across the platform and into the water. The world became muted and cold. His legs, so certain on solid ground, flailed helplessly as he struggled against the current. The water’s rippling surface gave the debris floating above him a blurred effect. Ignis propelled himself upward, his lungs burning for air.

A loud, ragged gasp tore itself from him as his head broke the surface. He tossed his head, clearing his sight from wet strands of hair. Streaks of water coated his glasses, his eyes stung from saltwater. All discomforts he pushed aside as he made for the platform. The churning waves, no doubt responding to Leviathan’s wrath, made Ignis feel as if he was climbing uphill through thigh-high snow. The heaviness of wet clothing also taxed his strength. Ignis pressed on, teeth clenching, arms driving through the water. 

When he neared the remains of a gondola station, he reached for the frayed rope dragging across the water. It slipped through his gloved hand. Ignis quickly summoned his dagger and, with a mighty kick of his legs, launched himself for the jetty. He plunged the dagger into the soft wood. Large cracks developed at the point of impact, creaking under the strain as he used it to pull himself free from the water. The instant he dragged his body onto the uppermost stair, Ignis collapsed. He had only scant moments to catch his breath, for Leviathan released another roar. 

Ignis’s head shot up, his eyes fixed on the Hydraean’s form rising above a section of partially submerged buildings. She lunged at something he couldn’t quite see. But when a flash of blue light struck her, causing her to rear back, Ignis’s heart leaped. It had to be Noctis. Relieved the prince was holding his own against the enraged Astral, he scrambled to his feet. He went two steps before the sound of sardonic clapping halted his progress. Turning, Ignis stiffened. 

Ardyn leaned against a broken section of wall, a look of pure amusement on his face. “Magnificent spectacle, don’t you agree?” he said, his gaze following Noctis as he darted around Leviathan. “Such is the power of Kings.”

While Ignis exhibited nothing but distrust to the chancellor’s appearance, he’d rather Ardyn be here than anywhere near Noctis. The covetous way he’d watch Noctis roused every suspicion Ignis ever had. 

“I trust you’re here to ensure the Empire succeeds,” Ignis said, hands gripping his daggers.

Ardyn gave a disinterested shrug. “The Empire’s success is of little concern to me. Something greater than their ambitions is at hand. But that is not why I am here.” 

“Noctis then.”

A smile, almost coy, touched Ardyn’s lips. “Noct,” he said, dragging the single syllable as if it were the most intimate of whispers. It set all the hairs on the back of Ignis’s neck on end. Ardyn leaned away from the wall, taking slow, measured steps toward Ignis. “His time will come. I am here for you. Can’t have you running off to help your prince.” 

Ignis went on the defensive. He didn’t care what Ardyn had planned for him, so long as he stayed away from Noctis. 

Ardyn, seeming to understand Ignis’s intentions, smiled again, then lunged. The movement was so quick, so unexpected, Ignis found himself on the ground, a knife at his throat. He succeeded in blocking Ardyn’s initial strike by crossing his daggers over his face. It didn’t prevent the knife from slicing into his bottom lip. Blood trailed down his chin. 

A strange glow came to Ardyn’s eyes before he smiled. “Well done. You were prepared for this. I wonder how far sighted you _truly_ are.” He applied pressure to the knife.

Ignis grunted against the older man’s surprising strength. Bringing his legs up, he drove his knees into Ardyn’s middle. The impact forced enough separation for Ignis to throw Ardyn over his head. As the other man tumbled forward, Ignis rolled to his feet. The streak of blue that was Noctis danced in his peripheral. He needed to dispatch Ardyn quickly if he was to be of any help to him.

Low laughter dragged Ignis’s attention to his enemy. Ardyn turned to face him, smiling as if he was an instructor surpassed by a favorite pupil. He flashed the knife, beckoned Ignis onward.

The two exchanged blows, Ardyn demonstrating reflexes nearly as quick as Noctis’s. Except where a lot of Noctis’s skills remained unrefined, Ardyn moved with the grace and precision of a master. Ignis couldn’t afford to be careless. Not with so much on the line already. 

He jumped back to avoid a forward lunge better suited for a rapier, though it appeared Ardyn was merely toying with him. The delight in his eyes proved as much.

“Attempting to discern the swiftest means to put an end to our fight,” he said, and Ignis swore inwardly at the older man’s perception. “You do me a disservice, but I suppose it’s to be expected. Perhaps we ought to liven things up a bit.” He produced a magic flask. Then, smiling, he tossed it toward Ignis. At seeing the glow of yellow light, Ignis acted.

Bolts of lightning exploded from the flask, the heat each one emanated scorching the ground. Ignis avoided the strikes by moving out of range. When he touched down, he lobbed his daggers at Ardyn. As he deflected them, Ignis produced a magic flask of his own. Rather than aim it for Ardyn, he threw it over him. Ardyn, who watched it sail over his head, flashed an amused smile.

“It seems you overestimated your throw,” he said.

Ignis didn’t deign to reply. The flask would answer for him.

The instant it hit the water, it burst open, flooding the immediate area with chilling winds. Waves churned up by Leviathan’s rage crashed behind Ardyn, which soon froze. Thick ice encased him to his calves. Ignis timed another wave’s impact before tossing a second flask. As it crashed atop Ardyn, the spell transformed the water into a cage of ice. Satisfied his plan had worked, Ignis darted from that place in search of higher ground. 

He ascended the steps in three swift strides, continued down a stretch of road now littered with broken merchant carts. Judging from the increasing echo of battle, he determined only a short distance lay between him and Noctis. He kept his gaze fixed on the sky as he raced onward, his strides matching the frantic pace of his heart. Noctis was a slender streak of black surrounded by ghostly weapons. Ignis reached for his phone, intending to inform Gladio of his position, only to recall it’d been lost. He hoped the other two were on their way. Only a united front held any means of defeating—

A large, heavy object slammed into his back. The force sent Ignis sprawling. Sharp bits of stone cut into his skin. His glassed hung off his face. The impact knocked the breath from his lungs, leaving him helpless. Footsteps echoed behind him. Ignis tried desperately to move, but his focus remained on trying to draw breath.

The footsteps stopped at his shoulder. He heard the flutter of a cloak, the creak of leather, as Ardyn dropped to his haunches. A hand carelessly stroked the back of Ignis’s wet hair before rough fingers curled around some strands. He jerked Ignis’s head back. He bit back a grunt of pain. 

Ardyn leaned in until his lips hovered by his ear. “A clever tactic, worthy of you. But, alas,” he said, his grip tightening around Ignis’s hair. As he spoke, Leviathan released a pained wail. Ignis glanced at the sky, saw Leviathan throw her head back as Noctis drove a weapon into her throat.

Ardyn’s low chuckle echoed of his delight. “The King of Kings has bested yet another Astral. It’s almost unfortunate I must deny you the chance to relish the victory. Noct is _so_ fond of you. Fonder than his dearly departed bride, if my eyes do not deceive me.”

Ignis drew in a sharp breath. Lady Lunafreya, dead? No. Impossible. He turned his face to Ardyn. Felt the blood trickle down from his temple. “You harmed…Lady Lunafreya…?” he asked, angry not for him, but Noctis. First his father, then his childhood friend. Ignis wouldn’t have it.

Ardyn ground Ignis’s face into the stone. He flinched as its rough surface tore at the tender skin around his left eye. “I’d turn such concern elsewhere if I were you,” the chancellor advised. He then forced Ignis’s head up. “Behold,” he whispered, his lips now grazing the top of Ignis’s ear. “See your precious King.”

Though the lenses were smudged, it did little to hide Noctis’s form plummeting to the ground. Given the slackness of arms and legs, it was clear he’d fallen unconscious. Should Noctis strike the water, it’d be the equivalent of falling on concrete. A vision of him broken and bloody sent a surge of adrenaline through Ignis’s body. 

With an angry cry, he brought his arm back, dagger gleaming in his hand. He felt his blade sink into the meat of Ardyn’s thigh. Twisted it for good measure. When he felt the grip on his hair loosen, Ignis scrambled free. Once he rose to his knees, he turned to drive the hilt of his other dagger between Ardyn’s eyes. 

A strong hand caught his wrist. Though blood soaked his pant leg, Ardyn’s smile was feral as he raked his gaze over Ignis’s face. A peculiar gleam sharpened Ardyn’s eyes, turning his amusement into something darker. For the first time, Ignis sensed the power behind the chancellor’s otherwise outlandish appearance. And in sensing this, he knew he’d made a fatal error.

“Truly, yours is an astonishing foresight. It pains me to have to take it away.” 

The next thing Ignis knew, Ardyn clamped his other hand over his eyes. Applied such crushing pressure to his temples, he released a choked cry. His glasses bent, the lenses shattering beneath Ardyn’s palm. When he shoved Ignis back, slivers of glass drove into the skin above his right eyebrow. The pain rendered him immobile. He felt separated from his body. It was the only way he could comprehend seeing himself pinned under Ardyn’s body, the malicious light in the other man’s eyes as he produced a magic flask. Even from here, he felt the heat emanating from its interior. Knew a devastating fire spell was contained within.

“A fitting tribute to one whose very name means fire, don’t you agree?” Ardyn said before breaking the flask over the left side of Ignis’s face. 

The action was so sudden, the pain and heat and stench of burning flesh so great, Ignis’s thoughts unraveled. There was only the sharp, harsh echo of his own screams resonating in his ears. The world turned blood red, then darkened. The flames burned themselves out. His screams died down, leaving him trembling, breathless. He couldn’t register any feeling on the left side of his face. 

A heavy boot pressed into his side. Ignis, unable to do much but roll as his body did, felt himself dropping off the edge of the platform. Cold water swallowed him up, instantly snapping him from his pain-induced stupor. He thrashed about in icy water, desperate for air. The darkness persisted, dragging him down into a place and mindset he had no strategy for. Here, there existed only primal fear. 

Here, there existed only death.


End file.
